Environment | The Guardian

National parks in sea could bring greater protections for habitats, says Blue Marine Foundation

Gates has been buying land like it’s going out of style. He now owns more farmland than my entire Native American nationBill Gates has never been a farmer. So why did the Land Report dub him “Farmer Bill” this year? The third richest man on the planet doesn’t have a green thumb. Nor does he put in the back-breaking labor humble people do to grow our food and who get for far less praise for it. That kind of hard work isn’t what made him rich. Gates’ achievement, according to the report, is that he’s largest private owner of farmland in the US. A 2018 purchase of 14,500 acres of prime eastern Washington farmland – which is traditional Yakima territory – for $171m helped him get that title.In total, Gates owns approximately 242,000 acres of farmland with assets totaling more than $690m. To put that into perspective, that’s nearly the size of Hong Kong and twice the acreage of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, where I’m an enrolled member. A white man owns more farmland than my entire Native nation! Continue reading...

In Phoenix, two cities are emerging: one is water-rich, the other water-poor

The rare palm that bears this botanical icon grows wild on just two islands in Seychelles. Now locals are helping to save it in a new planting scheme“The coco de mer is a much-loved cultural and botanical icon of the Seychelles,” says Katy Beaver, a plant expert on the islands who has been studying the rare palm for many years. The coco de mer, also known as the sea coconut or double coconut, is endemic to the islands and produces the largest and heaviest seeds in the world, a fascinating case of island gigantism. The suggestive shape of the seed has also earned it plenty of attention. Shrouded in folklore and legends, the palm is found growing naturally on only two of Seychelles’ 115 islands – Praslin, the second largest island in the country after Mahé, and nearby Curieuse. With only about 8,000 mature trees in existence today, the plant is named as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. Continue reading...

Group aims to highlight financial sector’s role in climate crisis through escalation in tactics this weekExtinction Rebellion is planning to step up its campaign against the banking system with a series of direct action protests and debt strikes in the coming weeks aimed at highlighting the financial sector’s role in the escalating climate crisis.Last week the group targeted Barclays Bank’s headquarters in London and the Bank of England as well as high street branches across the UK as part of its Money Rebellion protest. Continue reading...

Thousands of vermin that plague farms are culled in annual Great Easter Bunny Hunt centred on Alexandra, Central OtagoNew Zealand hunters have celebrated a return to tradition this Easter: shooting thousands of rabbits, an introduced species that threatens the country’s biodiversity as well as agriculture.The Great Easter Bunny Hunt – where hundreds of hunters gather in Alexandra, Central Otago, to make a dent in the regional rabbit population – was held this weekend for the first time since 2017. Continue reading...

Navajo Nation members received ‘a pittance’ for access to their land. Then came the spills and firesIt’s not clear why the water line broke on a Sunday in February 2019, but by the time someone noticed and stopped the leak, more than 1,400 barrels of fracking slurry mixed with crude oil had drained off the wellsite owned by Enduring Resources and into a snow-filled wash. From there, that slurry – nearly 59,000 gallons – flowed more than a mile downstream toward Chaco Culture national historical park before leaching into the stream bed over the next few days and disappearing from view.The rolling, high-desert landscape where this happened is Navajo Nation off-reservation trust land, in rural Sandoval county, New Mexico. Neighbors are few and far between, and they didn’t notice the spill. The extra truck traffic of the cleanup work blended in with the oil and gas drilling operations along the dirt roads in that part of the county. Continue reading...

Darwin residents trapped after their vehicle broke down while trying to cross a swollen riverTwo Darwin residents were forced to spend nine hours on the roof of their car surrounded by crocodile-infested flood waters after their vehicle became stranded.Rescuers spent all of Saturday night attempting to rescue the pair after their LandCruiser became trapped when it tried to cross the Dingo Station river crossing west of the Northern Territory’s capital. Continue reading...

Panel recommends many household chemicals and pesticides be exempt from scrutiny and agricultural chemicals’ approvals be fast-trackedEnvironment and health groups have fiercely criticised proposals to relax the regulation of chemicals and pesticides in Australia, saying they are “totally at odds” with public health and safety expectations.A “first principles” review by a panel of experts has recommended to the agriculture minister, David Littleproud, that many household chemicals and pesticides should be exempt from scrutiny by authorities, and that approvals for agricultural chemicals should be fast-tracked if they have been licensed by similar authorities overseas. Continue reading...

Herring off western coast will ‘teeter on edge of complete collapse’ if commercial fishing continues at current level, says reportFirst Nations and conservationists are warning that Pacific herring populations are “collapsing” off Canada’s western coast, and are appealing for a moratorium on commercial fishing until the critical species can rebuild.Emmie Page, a marine campaigner with the organization Pacific Wild, said in the past, five large commercial herring fisheries opened each year on the coast. Continue reading...

Unusually warm weather accelerated bloom cycle of mall’s 3,800 cherry treesSpring has sprung in America’s capital, bringing with it a resplendent bloom of white and pink cherry blossoms that is one of the city’s grandest annual traditions.But this year, as Washington DC’s residents embrace a relative return to normal after a tumultuous year marked by the coronavirus and civil unrest, the earlier-than-anticipated bloom may point to yet another looming crisis: climate change. Continue reading...

Experts say extreme weather including droughts will become more common as planet heats

The Earth Optimism 2021 summit is showcasing practical conservation solutions. We look at the ways technology is making a differenceCollaboration is key to developing new ideas, and scaling those solutions up is essential for making good progress in any field. This week, Earth Optimism 2021, a global summit hosted online until 4 April by Cambridge Conservation Initiative, has been showcasing conservation innovations to help wildlife and nature.The Cambridge conference is part of the Earth Optimism Alliance, a movement founded in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution in the US, with hubs in Nairobi, Sydney and Rio de Janeiro, which brings people together from around the world to talk about what’s working to protect the future of our planet. Continue reading...

Instead of Atlantic salmon and trout, study says the industry should focus on cultivating species with less complex needsThose who care about the welfare of fish and seafood should opt for clams, mussels or seaweed, according to a new report, which says popular fish, including farmed Atlantic salmon and trout, have more complex welfare needs and are more likely to experience pain and suffering.There is no scientific evidence of the behavioural and environmental needs of nearly 80% of aquatic species, an analysis of more than 400 species farmed around the world found. Continue reading...

Law establishes a clear definition of a community overburdened by pollution and gives most vulnerable residents a bigger voiceActivists are heralding the new Massachusetts climate law as a crucial next step in the state’s fight for environmental justice, saying it marks a key change in the state’s approach to identifying which residents are the most burdened.The expansive climate legislation, which was signed by Governor Charlie Baker last week, sets new goals on emissions and clean energy but its emphasis on environmental justice, supporters say, could prove to be transformative. Continue reading...

Daniel Zarrilli is leaving New York’s top climate post after eight years and says more needs to be done to tackle fossil fuelsFollowing an eight-year tenure as New York City’s climate tsar, a tumultuous period when the city faced Superstorm Sandy and charged headlong into a legal battle with fossil fuel companies, Daniel Zarrilli is departing his position.A long-term city employee and ally of Mayor Bill de Blasio, Zarrilli said it was the “right time to move on and hand over the reins” by resigning as New York City’s top climate adviser and moving on to an unspecified role that will also work on the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Half a dozen ideas for easier living – plus all the week’s reasons to be hopefulHere in London we’re back to living by the rule of six. And what a joy it is, just to see real faces chugging ale and chatting nonsense in all their three-dimensional glory.It makes me wonder if there are other rules of six out there that we should live by. Six days of work, one day of rest? Or better still, the other way round? No meetings with more than six people in them? No eating after 6pm – or drinking before then? Continue reading...

Figures show 77 companies received $8.2bn under tax changes related to Covid relief and yet almost every one let workers goFossil-fuel companies have received billions of dollars in tax benefits from the US government as part of coronavirus relief measures, only to lay off tens of thousands of their workers during the pandemic, new figures reveal.A group of 77 firms involved in the extraction of oil, gas and coal received $8.2bn under tax-code changes that formed part of a major pandemic stimulus bill passed by Congress last year. Five of these companies also got benefits from the paycheck protection program, totaling more than $30m. Continue reading...

Campaign urges caution near vulnerable mammals, which have come further inshore during lockdownsThe public are being urged to give seals space in order to protect them from human disturbance before the Easter weekend.As lockdown measures ease, the government-backed campaign by the Seal Alliance is asking people to show special caution as seals have ventured further inshore on beaches and coastlines that have become quieter as a result of lockdown. Continue reading...

Exclusive: voluntary approach to ‘environmental travesty’ is an abject failure, say Alan Titchmarsh and othersThe UK government must ban the sales of peat compost this year after its goal of a voluntary phaseout by 2020 proved an “abject failure”, according to a group of gardening experts, conservationists and scientists.Peat bogs store huge amounts of carbon and must be retained to help tackle the climate crisis. In a letter to the environment secretary, George Eustice, seen by the Guardian, the group say the UK as host of the UN climate summit talks this year should show leadership on the issue. Continue reading...

Analysis contradicts claims that the environmental impact of pesticides is falling, say scientistsThe toxic impact of pesticides on bees and other pollinators has doubled in a decade, new research shows, despite a fall in the amount of pesticide used.Modern pesticides have much lower toxicity to people, wild mammals and birds and are applied in lower amounts, but they are even more toxic to invertebrates. The study shows the higher toxicity outweighs the lower volumes, leading to a more deadly overall impact on pollinators and waterborne insects such as dragonflies and mayflies. Continue reading...

Research shows rising temperatures since 1960s have acted as handbrake to agricultural yield of crops and livestockThe climate crisis is already eating into the output of the world’s agricultural systems, with productivity much lower than it would have been if humans hadn’t rapidly heated the planet, new research has found.Related: G7 should double help for poorer countries to cut CO2 emissions, says UN Continue reading...

New Mexico man did not initially notice giant swarm, which had got in through an open window while he was inside supermarketA man who went shopping in New Mexico returned to a car filled with 15,000 honey bees who had apparently got in through an open window while he spent 10 minutes buying groceries.Astonishingly, the man – who was not named in the New York Times report detailing his unexpected travel companions – did not notice the sudden presence of a giant swarm of buzzing insects on his vehicle’s back seat until he was driving away. Continue reading...

Richer nations also urged to ensure make-or-break climate talks this year are a successThe world’s richest G7 group of countries must double the amount of finance they are offering to poor countries to help them cut greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of climate breakdown to make vital climate talks this year a success, the UN has said.As part of that commitment, the G7 countries should meet their targets of providing 0.7% of their GDP in overseas aid, said Amina Mohammed, deputy secretary general of the UN. Continue reading...

Shareholders approve deal for Yorkshire plant despite concerns over carbon, climate and land useThe owner of the Drax power plant in North Yorkshire is expected to move ahead with a $652m deal to double its production of wood pellets after its shareholders voted 99.9% in favour of buying a Canadian biomass company.The deal will accelerate Drax Group’s plans to become a leading biomass electricity generator by substituting wood pellets in place of coal at its power plant – despite warnings from scientists, green campaigners and sustainable investors that burning wood pellets could accelerate the climate crisis. Continue reading...

EU commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius urges Australia to sign Leaders’ Pledge for Nature that promotes a green recovery from Covid crisisA senior European Union official has sounded the alarm over the rapid decline of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef while backing calls for all countries to make more ambitious cuts to greenhouse gas emissions.The EU’s commissioner for environment, oceans and fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, told Guardian Australia he was deeply concerned by the threats facing the Great Barrier Reef. “As long as we do not change our behaviours, things will not improve,” he said. Continue reading...

Mosquitoes, rats and termites among species that have hitched ride on trade routes, causing at least $1.3tn of damageThe costs of damage caused by invasions of alien species across the world is trebling every decade, research has found.Mosquitoes, rats, ragweeds and termites are among the species that have hitched a ride on globalised trade routes, bringing disease, crop destruction and damage to buildings. The scientists calculated the costs at $1.3tn (£944bn) since 1970, and said even this “staggering sum” was likely to be a big underestimate as much damage is unreported. Continue reading...

Data published for first time by Environment Agency shows 27% increase on previous yearWater companies discharged raw sewage into rivers and coastal waters in England more than 400,000 times last year, Environment Agency (EA) data has revealed.Untreated human effluent poured into rivers and seas for a total of 3.1m hours via storm overflow pipes that are supposed to be used only in extreme weather to relieve pressure in the sewage system. Continue reading...

NGOs and experts quoted in film say it contains ‘misleading’ claims, erroneous statistics and out-of-context interviewsA Netflix documentary about the impact of commercial fishing has attracted celebrity endorsements and plaudits from fans with its damning picture of the harm the industry does to ocean life. But NGOs, sustainability labels and experts quoted in Seaspiracy have accused the film-makers of making “misleading claims”, using out-of-context interviews and erroneous statistics.Seaspiracy, made by the team behind the award-winning 2014 film Cowspiracy, which was backed by Leonardo DiCaprio, pours doubt on the idea of sustainable fishing, shines a spotlight on the aquaculture industry and introduces the notion of “blood shrimp”, seafood tainted with slave labour and human rights abuses. Continue reading...

Our lab tests found that US drinking water might not be safe as you think. Take our test to learn how to test your waterFinding out what’s in your water and which water filter you need isn’t always straightforward. You need to find out which, if any, contaminants are in your tap water, and which filter works best for your situation. Plus, advice can vary depending on whether you’re on municipal or well water, and whether you have young children at home.This interactive will help you navigate the issues, especially related to three of the most concerning contaminants: lead, arsenic, and PFAS. Continue reading...

NSW deputy premier says ‘there will be no moratorium on coal in the Upper Hunter or anywhere else in the state’The New South Wales deputy premier, John Barilaro, has rejected Malcolm Turnbull’s call for a moratorium on new coalmines in the state and demanded the former prime minister “set aside his war on the Coalition”.Turnbull said on Wednesday he believed coalmine proposals and approvals in the state’s upper Hunter Valley were “out of control”. Continue reading...

Economies are gearing up for return to fossil fuel use instead of forging green recovery, warns Fatih BirolNew energy policies are urgently needed to put countries on the path to net zero greenhouse gas emissions, the world’s leading energy economist has warned, as economies are rapidly gearing up for a return to fossil fuel use instead of forging a green recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.Most of the world’s biggest economies now have long-term goals of reaching net zero by mid-century, but few have the policies required to meet those goals, said Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA). Continue reading...

Small group taking most flights should face frequent flyer levy, says environmental charityAn “elite minority” of frequent flyers cause most of the climate damage resulting from aviation’s emissions, according to an environmental charity.The report, which collates data from the countries with the highest aviation emissions, shows a worldwide pattern of a small group taking a large proportion of flights, while many people do not fly at all. Continue reading...

Calls for forests to be high on Cop26 agenda after loss of 42,000 sq km of tree cover in key tropical regionsThe rate at which the world’s forests are being destroyed increased sharply last year, with at least 42,000 sq km of tree cover lost in key tropical regions.According to data from the University of Maryland and the online monitoring platform Global Forest Watch, the loss was well above the average for the last 20 years, with 2020 the third worst year for forest destruction since 2002 when comparable monitoring began. Continue reading...

Former PM says Upper Hunter Valley mines are devastating the landscape and shortening life expectancy, and jobs focus should be on clean energy, tourism and wineMalcolm Turnbull has backed calls for a moratorium on new coalmine approvals in New South Wales, warning they are devastating the landscape, shortening lives by reducing air quality and – given declining global coal demand – potentially leaving taxpayers with a huge remediation bill.The former prime minister, who owns a farm in New South Wales’ Upper Hunter Valley, supported the findings of a new report by the Australia Institute that found new coal developments proposed in that area had the capacity to produce 10 times more coal than Adani’s controversial Carmichael mine in Queensland. Continue reading...

Black Summer report finds south coast forests particularly hard hit and prompts call for urgent review of logging rulesThe Berejiklian government is facing calls to stop all logging in New South Wales native forests after a forestry agency review found the catastrophic 2019-20 bushfires reduced the amount of available timber by as much as 30%.The report, published by the NSW Forestry Corporation on Friday night, finds the effects of the disaster have dramatically reduced the amount of timber that can be sustainably harvested in some areas, particularly on the state’s south coast. Continue reading...

Peak bloom reached on 26 March in Kyoto and experts say impact of global warming is to blame

New study released after Guardian Seascape investigation shows drop in seafood mislabelling, but campaigners argue it uses less strict methodologyCanada’s food safety authority has announced improved monitoring to tackle seafood fraud, after a recent Guardian Seascape analysis found fish mislabelling to be widespread. However,environmental campaigners are concerned samples taken for a key report behind the announcement did not include restaurants and food services and used a less accurate methodology.In its latest report, released on 24 March, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said only 8% of the seafood it had sampled in the past two years was mislabelled, after new investments in food fraud reduction. It looked at 352 samples collected from domestic processors, importers and packaged fish at supermarkets in 2019 and 2020. Continue reading...

Drastic steps taken to protect the Sierra Nevada’s 600 bighorn sheep after another charismatic species developed a taste for themIn order to save one endangered species, California scientists are having to relocate another iconic creature that is, regrettably, eating it.The California department of fish and wildlife is in the process of moving mountain lions over 100 miles away from struggling populations of bighorn sheep, which are unique to the Sierra Nevada mountains. The herbivores were first listed as endangered in 1999, when their population was estimated at only 125 individuals, according to researchers. Continue reading...

Exclusive: scientists write to ministers and supreme court over recent ruling in Heathrow caseProminent scientists and lawyers have said the UK government’s decision to ignore the Paris climate agreement when deciding on major infrastructure projects undermines its presidency of UN climate talks this year.The experts – including the former Nasa scientist Jim Hansen, the former UK government chief scientist Sir David King and the economist Prof Jeffrey Sachs – have written to ministers and the supreme court about a recent ruling that the government need not take the UK’s obligations under the treaty into account when setting policy, made in a case concerning the proposed expansion of Heathrow airport. Continue reading...

Tariq Fancy once oversaw the start of the biggest effort to turn Wall Street ‘green’ – but now believes the climate crisis can never be solved by today’s free marketsFrom his desk in midtown Manhattan Tariq Fancy once oversaw the beginning of arguably the biggest, most ambitious, effort ever to turn Wall Street “green”. Now, as environmentally friendly investing grows at an exponential rate, Fancy has come to a stark conclusion: “This is definitely not going to work.”As the former chief investment officer for sustainable investing at BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, Fancy was charged with embedding environmental, social and governance (ESG) corporate policies across the investment giant’s portfolio. Continue reading...

Rejection comes as company criticised over plans to split its business in two as part of a move to clean up its emissions profileThe Victorian government has rejected on environmental grounds a proposal from energy giant AGL to build a gas import terminal at Crib Point in Western Port.It came as the company also came under criticism from climate campaigners over a plan to spin off its high-polluting coal power plants that would allow it to rebrand the clean part of its business as “new AGL”. Continue reading...

The UK’s woods are full of strange specimens. But they aren’t easy to identify – even for the experts

Our colleagues from The age of extinction, Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield, are back with two new episodes. We often talk as if we know what species exist in the world – but we don’t. Could misclassifying the notoriously cryptic fungi have broader implications for what we know about the environment, and how we care for it? Continue reading...

‘The economics are going to drive EV adoption,’ company founder says, citing petrol costsAustralia may take another small step in the switch to electric cars if an ambitious $40m plan by the ride-hailing rental startup Splend to transition its fleet takes off.The company has said it will swap its petrol-driven cars in the UK for 1,000 electric vehicles by the end of the year, with half the 1,500 vehicles in Australia to follow by the end of 2022. Continue reading...

Biden administration’s effort to increase offshore wind energy is part of plan to generate power for more than 10m homes by 2030The Biden administration is moving to sharply increase offshore wind energy along the US east coast, saying on Monday it is taking steps toward approving a huge windfarm off New Jersey as part of an effort to generate electricity for more than 10m homes by 2030. Continue reading...